Paul Pierce
Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13 1977 in Oakland, California), nicknamed The Truth by Shaquille O'Neal, is a professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. Having gained a reputation for his tenacity and consistency on the court, Pierce is generally considered to be one of the best athletes at his small forward position in the league. He has been a starter every season since he was selected by the Celtics in the 1998 NBA Draft, and since then has helped lead Boston in 2002 to an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs. College Pierce averaged 16.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in his three seasons at the University of Kansas, and earned MVP honors in the Big 12 Conference Tournament in both 1997 and 1998. He entered the NBA Draft after his junior year with the Jayhawks, and was selected in the first round (10th pick overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, a team that was in its own rebuilding process at the time. NBA After his debut in the NBA, Pierce's ability to score, rebound, and a healthy dose of late-game heroics led to his emergence as a top player in the Eastern Conference. Along with forward Antoine Walker, Pierce led the Celtics to the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals. In the historic Game 3 of that series, he led the Celtics to the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in NBA playoff history. Pierce scored 19 of his 28 point total during the fourth quarter, and the Celtics recovered from a 21 point 4th quarter deficit to defeat the New Jersey Nets. Pierce has averaged 23 points per game over his 7-year NBA career and is a 5-time NBA All-Star. Trade rumors involving Paul Pierce have swirled ever since Danny Ainge returned as the Executive Director of Basketball Operations in May of 2003, although Ainge has firmly stated that Pierce will remain a Celtic and that he intends to discuss a contract extension after the 2005-2006 season. Pierce has become a Celtics fan-favorite during his tenure in Boston; some analysts and sports writers have argued that he is the most underrated basketball player in the NBA. He often has played his best games against the best individual competition, such as Lebron James, Tracy McGrady, and Kobe Bryant. For instance, Pierce scored a career high 50 points in a loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 15, 2006. After the game, James stated that he feels that him and Pierce are the top two in their position in the Eastern Conference http://www.nba.com/games/20060215/CLEBOS/recap.html On February 9, 2006, for the fifth time in his career, Pierce was selected to play in the 2006 NBA All-Star Game in Houston, Texas as a reserve for the Eastern Conference. In the 2005-2006 NBA season, Pierce has the highest points-per-shot average among the top 30 scorers in the league, indicating that he is one of the NBA's most efficient and consistent players. On March 8th, 2006 Paul Pierce extended his franchise-record streak of 30-point games at 8. His scoring streak was anything but a one-man showboating effort. On March 7, he scored 10 points in overtime to beat the Washington Wizards, and the next night the Celtics eeked out a victory against Philadelphia on the strength of two late-game improbable shots by Pierce, one a three pointer, the other an off-balance "buzzer-beater" for the win. He scored at least 30 points for the 13th time in 14 games (between February 4 and March 12), the best such stretch in Celtics history. He has six career triple-doubles, the most recent on March 8, 2006. Pierce is tied with Zydrunas Ilgauskas of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks (8 years) for sixth place among active players who have played their entire NBA career for one team. Reputation Pierce is known as one of the more motivated players in the league. He was once fouled hard by Amare Stoudemire, hit the floor face-first, and lost a number of teeth. He did not miss any games as a result of this injury. Similarly, he has played thourgh numerous injuries that have garnered the great respect of fans and teammates alike. On September 25, 2000, he was stabbed in the face, neck and back while at a nightclub, but recovered quickly enough to be able to return to the NBA for a full season. The event was later brought up during the 2002 playoffs when a New Jersey fan held a controversial sign stating, "Will Someone please stab Paul Pierce?" http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/05/31/spt_nets_celtics_heating.html Some fans and members of the media outside Boston, however, seem to have harbored resentment against Paul Pierce for the performance of Team USA at the 2002 Basketball World Championships. Pierce was the best player on the American National Basketball team that suffered the first three losses ever by an American team featuring NBA stars against international competition en route to placing a disappointing sixth at the Championships, and many writers blamed Pierce. However, he has been reinstated to the United States national team, having been left off the 2004 olympic team. Career highlights NBA * 2-time All-NBA Third Team: 2002, 2003 * 5-time NBA All-Star: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 * NBA All-Rookie First Team: 1999 * NBA regular-season leader, total points: 2002 (2144) * NBA regular-season leader, free throws made: 2003 (604) College * Named First Team All-America by the Associated Press after his junior year at the University of Kansas. * Named Big Eight Freshman of the Year in 1995-96. * MVP of the Big 12 Conference Tournament in both 1997 and 1998. Other * Member of the 2002 USA Basketball World Championship Team. * Chose KU over UCLA in a heated recruiting battle, in which former Kansas head coach Roy Williams persuaded him to continue his career in Lawrence, Kansas. NBA records * Most free throws made without a miss, playoffs: 21 (Game 1, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round). Boston Celtics franchise records (13) * Scored 30-plus points per game in a franchise record 7''' consecutive games (February 24–March 8, 2006). * Most points scored in an overtime period: '''13 (December 1, 2001 vs. New Jersey Nets) * Most three-point field goals made, career: 962 (1998–present) * Most free throws made in one game: 20 (November 2, 2002 vs. New York Knicks). * Most free throws attempted in one game: 24 (November 5, 2005 vs. New York Knicks). * Most free throws made in one half: 14 (March 2, 2001 vs. Utah Jazz). * Most free throws made in one season: 604 (2002-2003). * Most free throws attempted in one season: 753 (2002-2003). * Most steals in one game: 9''' (tied with Larry Bird; December 3, 1999 vs. Miami Heat). * Most free throws made without a miss, playoffs: '''21 (Game 1, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round). * Most points scored in one half, playoffs: 32 (Game 4, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round). * Highest scoring average through one month: 33.5 ppg (February 2006). * Only Celtics player in franchise history to lead the NBA in total points scored in a season, after accumulating 2,144 points in 2001-2002. * Playing with Celtics he acumulated 2,071 points in 2000-2001. Trivia * Resident of Waltham, Massachusetts. * Majored in Crime and Delinquency Studies at Kansas University. * Favorite sport other than basketball is tennis. * Half brother Jay Hosey played basketball for Wyoming and other half brother Steve Hosey played catcher for the San Francisco Giants. 引用 本條目的內容引用自以下開放文本： Wikipedia contributors, "Paul Pierce," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Pierce&oldid=56107213 (accessed May 31, 2006). 參考資料 *University of Kansas Men's Basketball *NBA Player Profile *USA National Team *Paul Pierce Official Site category:NBA的球員